Adjustable track roller for sliding doors



Oct. 30, 1962 M; TUCKER ADJUSTABLE TRACK ROLLER FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed May 16, 1960 MORTON TUCKER BY g United States Patent 0 3,060,524 ADJUSTABLE TRACK ROLLER FOR SEWING DGGRS Morton Tucker, 1395 E. 11th Ave, Hialeah, Fla. Filed May 16, 1960, Ser. No. 29,290 1 Claim. (El. 20-19) This invention relates to sliding door structures of the type that comprises a pair of overlapping glass panels that are fixed within metallic frame members.

The invention contemplates primarily adjustable supporting rollers for the shiftable support of the doors upon a fixed trackway and whereby to define a suitable clearance between the trackway and the bottom of the doors.

The invention also contemplates sliding door structures having a lower channeled rail, connected vertically disposed jamb members and a connecting head rail and with the lower rail having a relatively deep channel that is downwardly opening and whereby to receive roller carrying elements that are disposed adjacent the opposite ends of the channel and pivoted to the channel transversely and with adjusting screws engaging the elements from the opposite ends of the door so that the elements may be rocked in a vertical plane to elevate or lower rollers carried by the elements that are grooved to engage the trackway.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a pair of sliding doors constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the lower corner of one door, parts being broken away for purpose of illustration,

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary end view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 2, and

FiGURE 6 is a section taken substantially on line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to FIGURE 1, there has been illustrated a pair of glass paneled sliding doors, illustrated as a whole by the numeral 5. Each of the doors are substantially identical and a description of one will suflice for both. Each of the doors comprise vertical jamb members 6, a lower rail 7 and an upper rail 8. The several rails have communicating grooves 9 around their inner periphery that con stitutes a seat for glass panels 10. Suitable packing 11 is employed within the grooves 9 of the several frame members.

The rail 7, while having the upwardly opening groove 9, is channeled upwardly for its major height, as indicated at 12 and with the channel being downwardly open ing along the bottom of the door. Supported within the channel 12 of each door adjacent the opposite ends thereof, are generally rectangular bifurcated metallic blocks 13'. The blocks 13 are slotted at 14 to receive a preferably nylon grooved roller 15, journaled upon a cross-shaft 16 that is fixed within the slide walls 17 of the block. The grooved rollers 15 have traverse engagement with a conventional trackway 18 that is fixed upon the floor and that extends between the wall opening for the doors 5. The track 18 is formed by a pair of upstanding ribs in 7. 3,060,524 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 spaced apart relation that are formed integral with a base plate 19 that is fixed upon the floor and whereby the doors 5 ride upon separate trackways to move in overlapping relation. The block 13 has a width closely conforming to the width of the channel 12 and the block is pivotally supported within the channel to rise and fall in a vertical plane, by a pivot pin 20, the opposite ends of which engage within openings formed in the side walls of the rail 7.

The jamb members 6 are of channel formation, having side walls 21 and a connecting web 22. The rail 7 snugly engages within the channel formed by the walls 21 to have abutting relation with the web portion 22. The rails and the jamb members are held in their assembled relation in any conventional manner.

Means are provided to rock the block 13 in a vertical plane upon the pivot 20, comprising a screw 23 that has threaded engagement into a threaded opening 24 of the block. The screw 23 has a beveled head portion 25 that bears against the beveled edges 26 of an elongated slot 27, formed in the web portions 22 and the jamb members. It will thus be apparent that rotation of the screw will rock the block 13 in a vertical motion upon the pivot 20. The screw 23 functions when rotated in one direction to forcibly rock the block and the roller 15 downwardly to elevate that corner of the door in accordance with the clearance desired with respect to the track 18. If the door is elevated to a degree that interferes with the proper weather stripping with respect to the track 18, the screw is reversed in its rotation and the normal weight of the door urges the block 13 and the roller 15 upwardly. The head of the screw 25 at all times has a bearing within the slot 27 In the use of the device, the blocks and their supported rollers having been mounted within the channel 12 of a particular door at each end of the channel, by the pins 20, the screws 23 are then inserted through the slots 27 to engage the threaded opening 24 of the block. The door is then installed upon the trackway in the usual manner and then the door is adjusted at its opposite ends as to the desired clearance with respect to the track. If the door tends to drag at one end, the screw 23 is rotated in the clockwise direction, causing the block and the roller to be pivoted downwardly to elevate the door at that corner. The same adjustment is then made at the opposite end of the door, greatly facilitating the alignment of the door with respect to the track. If there is too much clearance between the bottom of the door and the track, the screw is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, permitting the block 13 and the roller 15 to be elevated into the channel 12 by the mere weight of the door, since the movement of the screw 23' in the anti-clockwise direction extends the screw outwardly with respect to the block and permits the roller to be shifted upwardly into the channel. The lower marginal edges of the rail 7 will be suitably weather stripped in accordance with the practice prevailing in sliding door structures and no attempt has been made to illustrate the weather stripping since it forms no part of the present invention. The several frame members for the door, including the jamb 6 and the rails 7 and 8 are all preferably extruded from aluminum and connected into a relatively rigid frame, exposing the lower opening of the channel 12 of the rails 7. The blocks 13 and their rollers are previously assembled and inserted into the ends of the channel 12 where they are anchored in pivotal relation by the pivot pins 20. The screws 23 are then inserted through the slots 27 to engage the threaded opening 24.

It will be apparent, that there has been provided a very novel form of track roller for sliding panel doors that is quickly and easily assembled with respect to the door and that it is quickly and easily adjusted to control the clearance of the door with respect to the track. The adjustment of the device requires nothing more than the use of the conventional screw driver to engage the heads 25 of the screws. The elongation of the slots 27 permits the blocks to rock upon their pivot pins while maintaining the beveled head of the screw in engagement with the beveled edge of the slot 27. The use of nylon rollers function to create a relatively quiet traverse of the tracks 18 and provide for rollers that have a relatively long life. The structure is simple, is strong, cheap to manufacture and most effective as an easily adjustable track roller for sliding door structures.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Adjustable track rollers for sliding closure doors of the type that includes a rigid open frame for the support of a transparent panel, the said frame being of the type that includes channeled jamb members that are connected at top and bottom by a header and a sill, the sill being rectangular in vertical cross section and channeled throughout its length and with the channel opening downwardly through the bottom of the 'sill, the end portions of the sill having a fixed interfitting engagement into the lower portions of the jambs, roller devices that are disposed at each end of the sill channel and with the rollers being movable in a vertical plane into and out of the channel for adjustably engaging a fixed tracltway that spans a lower side of a wall opening that supports the doors and whereby the opposite ends of the door may be vertically adjustable with respect to the trackway, the said roller devices each including a rectangular bifurcated block that is pivotally supported in openings formed in the side walls of the sill member whereby the blocks may be rocked in a vertical plane into and out of the channel of the sill, the pivot for each of the blocks being intermediate the length of the blocks and with the pivot being disposed closely to the upper side of the blocks, nylon grooved rollers disposed between the bifurcations of the blocks and pivotally journaled in the bifurcations adjacent the inner lower corners of the blocks and whereby the rollers project a substantial distance below the blocks so that the rollers will project downwardly below the channel of the sill to form a clearance between the sill and the trackway, an opposite end of each block adjacent its lower side being provided with a threaded aperture that extends longitudinally of the block, an outer edge of the jamb members adjacent their lower ends being provided with an elongated slot, the edges of which are inwardly beveled, a screw having a rounded head and a beveled shoulder beneath the head being operable through the slots for threaded engagement into the threaded apertures of the blocks, the shoulder having a bevel corresponding to the bevel of the slots, each of the screws having a slotted head portion whereby the screws may be operatively engaged by a rotating tool at the opposite ends of the door, the said screws when rotated causing the blocks to rotate in a vertical plane upon their pivots to raise and lower the rollers in accordance with the clearance desired between the door and the trackway, the said screws adapted to traverse the slots of the jamb members in the rocking movement of the blocks whereby the head of the screws will be substantially counter-sunk with re spect to the slots and whereby the screws throughout the adjustable movement of the blocks will prevent the head of the screw from projecting appreciably beyond the edge of the jambs.

References (Jited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 355,724 Shrefller Jan. 11, 1887 2,931,434 Steel Apr. 5, 1960 2,950,756 Moloney Aug. 30, 1960 2,980,947 Rust et al Apr. 25, 1961 

